The incidence and nature of depressed and nondepressed mothers' unpremeditated "teaching" behaviors was investigated during 8-minute periods of videotaped interactions between each mother and her toddler and a suitcase full of toys. Diagnosed mothers had experienced depressive episodes during their child's lifetime. Nondepressed mothers…

Case studies of six gifted productive youth (9-18 years old) were conducted to search for the special environmental conditions and personality characteristics that precede and accompany such productivity. Interviews were held with the students, their parents, and their teachers. Students were also requested to keep a journal to record their…

Two studies investigated the role that parental attitudes and behavior play in filtering the complexity of the world into manageable forms for children. Cognitive and behavioral patterns used as dependent variables were cognition (reading scores, language use, general information, beliefs, reality-fantasy discrimination); imagination;…

In the developmental literature increasing attention has been given to childrearing factors and their influence on the development of childhood behavior and attitudes, focusing primarily on maladaptive behaviors. Relatively little attention has been focused on positive family factors and their influence on prosocial development. However, research…

To determine whether or not both speech and laboratory assessments of referential communication ability measure a single area of competence, three groups of children were formed on the basis of their parents' diagnostic status: schizophrenic, unipolar depressive, or bipolar disordered. The breakdown of subject groups was as follows: 23 children of…

Reports on a survey made of 300 freshmen college students on the amount of perceived parental influence on college and vocational choice. Although students surveyed indicated that they made their own decisions, most said that they sought parental advice on important issues. (Author/PC)

Parents of students with reading problems can be taught to do many things to help enhance their children's language skills. (JH)

Presents a rationale for providing preschool children with experiences related to classification, seriation, and pattern recognition because they are means by which a child can organize the world around him. These are considered to be the early steps in the long developmental sequence leading to logical thinking and reflective observation. (GS)

One pathway through which second order effects proceed is "social referencing," a process in which the individual utilizes another's interpretation when appraising a situation. This phenomenon is well identified in adults and older children. While it had not been studied in infancy, there are good indications that the necessary cognitive…

The influence of citizens on educational collective bargaining was examined in this study of eight school districts in California and Illinois. Data were collected through interviews with persons active in collective bargaining and observation of bargaining sessions and other meetings. The study revealed that citizens rarely participate directly…

Theories furthering understanding of the effects of child rearing practices on psychiatric disturbance are briefly reviewed. Particular attention is given to family dynamics, the double-bind hypothesis, and the development of schizophrenia and related border line syndromes that lead to psychotic phenomena. The issue of child rearing practices is…

This exploratory study investigated subjects' reactions to the suffering of another person, with subjects categorized on the basis of their own levels of previous physical punishment by their parents. Within the just world victim derogation paradigm, subjects observed a similar/dissimilar other receiving punishing shocks (as compared to a no-shock…

Parental and peer influence on adolescents account for a substantial portion of the variation in health behavior developing in late adolescence. Of high school students sampled, 50% describe the influence attempts of their mothers, fathers and peers as neutral on most health behavior. Smoking is the exception to the pattern with mothers and…